A Day of Mourning

Yesterday I was on the late shift. My assignment was to get photos of the flag flying half staff at the corrections office in Draper in honor of slain officer Stephen Anderson who was shot by Curtis Allgier, a prison escapee, the day before. Second assignment - to photograph the Bluffdale special election.

There are also those assignments that touch and change your life. Last night was one of those times. My third assignment was to cover a candlelight vigil for a high school student in American Fork that was killed in a car accident the day before. I have to be honest, I was not exactly excited to get of my car for this one. I knew that it was going to be emotional and I didn’t feel like being a vulture. I decided to arrive about a half hour before the vigil and started asking students if it would be ok to photograph them during the vigil. I just wanted to feel like I was welcome before I started snapping photos of people crying. Then his family walked in. I stepped back for a couple of minutes and then asked the father if it would be ok to take photos of the family during the vigil and he gave me complete access. What a strong and courageous family.

I took a couple of photos but about 10 minutes into the vigil, my chest started hurting watching all of the tears and the family and friends mourn and hearing the stories of this wonderful person. There was something unique about this vigil and this high school and after they were done sharing stories, I came up to the principal and told her that her high school was special. At that moment, all of the tears I had tried so hard to hold back burst after seeing hers.

At that moment I realized that this was not going to be the first vigil that I was going to photograph in career but I vowed to myself never to get jaded. I spent the rest of the evening with the family, photographing them during the candlelight vigil. This was a night I will never forget. It was a time when as the photographer, I was changed. I decided I wanted to live in a community that has as much unity as this one and I saw the strength of a family who just lost a wonderful son and brother.

Here are the images from yesterday:

Beth Walker, left, Rebecca Clark and Kara Crumrine mourn the loss of former American Fork High School student body president Travis Landeen Tuesday night.

Travis Landeen’s family joins thousands of students from American Fork for a moment of silence to remember Travis during a candlelight vigil on the high school football field.

Students at American Fork High School fill the gymnasium to mourn the loss of their student body president, Travis Landeen.